These days, more and more men are getting into essential oils for their self-care, and are seeking out cold process soaps, body lotions, beard balms and oils that feature only essential oils. As soap and body care makers, this means we are always searching out new inspiration for creating more product lines that appeal to men.
To make it easier, we’ve gathered our top “manly” favorites from our free Essential Oil Blend library, to help inspire you in your next creation for the men in your client base. Do they just work for men? Of course not! Traditionally speaking, these tend to lean more towards the ‘masculine’ shopper, but don’t let that stop you from doing what works for your brand.
Stashed – A smooth, slightly smoky, and woodsy blend of Frankincense, Amyris, Cedarwood, Patchouli and Lavender. This blend behaves amazingly in cold process soap, and has a long-lasting scent retention. Very popular in men’s products, without any spice notes.
Sheer – Sweet Orange and Bergamot team up with Tea Tree and May Chang (Litsea Cubeba) essential oils to create an amazing cacophony of sweet, citrusy and brisk notes. Very unique, and very unisex- especially for your customers who don’t want to smell like lumberjacks.
Spicy Lime – A fresh burst of Lime, spiced up with a blend of Patchouli, Black Pepper and fresh, lemony May Chang (Litsea Cubeba). A real unique spin on a citrus themed scent that is a truly unisex crowd pleaser. Make sure to use a folded/distilled Lime essential oil to ensure the scent lasts in cold process!
Gentleman’s Lavender – Yes, as the name implies, this contains Lavender for sure! However, it’s mellowed and balanced out with essential oils like Clary Sage, Patchouli, Sweet Orange, May Chang and Cedarwood. Refreshing and relaxing in a more unisex friendly fashion.
Forest Jaunt – A woodsy, foresty blend featuring Fir Needle, Cypress, Cedarwood, Juniper Berry, Vetiver and Amyris. Truly a blend that feels like you’re hiking the Pacific Northwest, and camping along the way. (Also a great blend for customers who say they can’t stand Patchouli.)
Paragon – This scent is nearly a paradox! There’s a warm, woody start with the Cedarwood and Patchouli, and then a spicy hit of Cinnamon Leaf essential oil. Then, in come the notes you didn’t expect- Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Clary Sage bring a pleasing freshness that completely offsets the warmer base notes of this blend. Definitely a unique spin that isn’t commonly found in soap.
Roots – Wake up, wake up! This blend has a perfect medley of citruses with Lemon and Bergamot, along with the peppery fresh citrus-like scent of May Chang (Litsea Cubeba), which are married to a brisk hit of Peppermint. This one is sure to be a fresh favorite.
Blending Tips
Make sure you blend by weight, NOT by drops. We like the KD 8000 Digital Scale by My Weigh for measuring out the majority of our formulations!
We recommend making your favorite essential oil blends ahead of time, and storing them in Amber Glass Bottles.
Don’t forget your Fragrance Test Strips for Perfume and Essential Oils and 3 mL Plastic Transfer Pipettes. Using the test strips allows you to get a true sense for what your blend will smell like out of the bottle. And of course transferring essential oils out of bottles is far easier with the plastic pipettes.
From body butters, to perfume rollers, to cold process soaps, to bath bombs, our free library is stuffed full of awesome essential oil blends that will inspire and elevate your handmade bath and body lines.
Calculate a usage rate for those above, or get inspired to make your own blend.
Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.